StarClan's Faith: Book I
by Darknight of WoodClan
Summary: After their deputy's murder, the killer is apparent and exiled quickly. But young Russetflame isn't so sure. Why does she feel the need to help the cat she hates so much?
1. Clan Alliances

**LeafClan**

_**Leader**_

Roanstar- Redish brown tom with amber eyes

**_Deputy_**

Strongwind- Long-haired gray tom

**_Medicine Cat_**

Spiderfoot- Long-legged black she-cat with white paws and gray around her muzzle

**Apprentice, Snowdrop- Pure white she-cat with one blue eye and one grey eye**

**_Warriors_**(Toms and she-cats without kits)

Briskriver- Gray tom with blue eyes

Graycloud- Long-haired pale silver tom

Cloudwhisker- White tom with grey on his ears and paws

Firespot- Pale ginger and white tom

Birdwing- Gray and white tom with gray eyes

Aspenwood- Dark long-haired tabby tom

Crimsonfur- Very dark ginger tom

Swiftstrike- Unusual black and white tom with pale gray eyes

**Apprentice, Singlepaw**

Russetflame- Brown ginger she-cat with soft amber eyes

**_Apprentices_**(older than six moons, in training to become warriors)

Singlepaw- Ginger tom with green eyes

**_Queens_**(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Rowantree- Tabby she-cat with green eyes

Tabbyfur- Dark tabby she-cat _(mother of three)_

Soloflight- Pale silver she-cat with blue eyes _(mother of two)_

**_Elders_**(Former warriors and queens, now retired)

Dustyfur- Brown she-cat

Hailfall- Pale gray tabby tom with failing sight

Silentheart- Very pale, gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes; retired early due to battle wounds

Littlefawn- Small dusky brown she-cat;

**StreamClan**

**_Leader_**

Dashstar- Tortoiseshell and white tom with amber eyes

**_Deputy_**

Holloweye- Dusky brown she-cat with a blind left eye

**Apprentice, Beaverpaw**

**_Medicine Cat_**

Splinterfoot- Thin tabby tom with unusual orange eyes

**_Warriors_**(Toms and she-cats without kits)

Thistlepelt- Small tabby she-cat

**Apprentice, Otterpaw**

Crushedfoot- Gray and white tom with a mangled foot

Robinfeather- Brown tom with a ginger belly and green eyes

**Apprentice, Waterpaw**

Wetface- Gray tom with a pale face and blue eyes

Owlwing- Pale, dappled gray and brown she-cat

Sageheart- Quiet ginger tom

Brindleclaw- Brown ginger tom

**_Apprentices_**(older than six moons, in training to become warriors)

Beaverpaw- Long-haired brown tom with an unusually short tail

Otterpaw- Sleek, dark brown tom with green eyes

Waterpaw- Small tabby she-cat

**_Queens_**(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Sunnycloud- Small, ginger and white she-cat

Ashflower- Deeply scarred pale gray she-cat

**_Elders_**(Former warriors and queens, now retired)

Thornwolf(/star)- Tabby tom; blind; former leader

Cloudface- Pure white she-cat with one blue eye and one green eye; mute

**FernClan**

_**Leader**_

Adderstar- Black tom with white-tipped ears

**_Deputy_**

Frostbite- Pure white she-cat with dark blue eyes

**_Medicine Cat_**

Starlingsong- Elderly pure white she-cat with amber eyes

**_Warriors_**(Toms and she-cats without kits)

Sleetstone- Long-haired grey (with darker flecks) tom, blue eyes  
**Apprentice, Brackenpaw **

Silvereagle- Pale grey she-cat with blue eyes

Rabbitfur- Small gray tortoiseshell she-cat

Duskstripe- Dark tortoiseshell tom

**Apprentice, Pantherpaw**

Sharpclaw- Brown tom with a long tail

Peppertail- Long-haired black (with white flecks) tom

Dampleaf- Dark tabby tom with gray eyes

**Apprentice, Darkpaw**

Reedwhisker- Redish brown tom

**_Apprentices_**(older than six moons, in training to become warriors)

Brackenpaw- Tortoiseshell she-cat

Pantherpaw- Pure black she-cat with amber eyes

Darkpaw- Small, sleek black tom with a white throat

**_Queens_**(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Morningbird- Pale gray she-cat with brown ears

Appleblossom- Pale brown she-cat

**_Elders_**(Former warriors and queens, now retired)

Boulderpelt- Large gray tom with a faded muzzle

**GrassClan**

**_Leader_**

Crowstar- Elderly dark tabby tom

**_Deputy_**

Wolfshadow- Long-haired tabby she-cat

**_Medicine Cat_**

Clearwater- White and tabby she-cat

**_Warriors_**(Toms and she-cats without kits)

Shadefur- Massive, dark gray, almost black tom

**Apprentice, Lionpaw**

Nightscar- Sleek black (with gray flecks) tom

**Apprentice, Wingpaw**

Birchclaw- Long-haired white tom with gray eyes

**Apprentice, Lightningpaw**

Ivythorn- Very pale tabby she-cat with a strict attitude

**Apprentice, Thunderpaw**

Littledove- Small black and white she-cat

Dogwood- Good-natured tabby tom

Rainsong- Pale gray (with white flecks) she-cat with blue eyes

**_Apprentices_**(older than six moons, in training to become warriors)

Thunderpaw- Pale ginger tom

Lightningpaw- Pale ginger she-cat

Wingpaw- Long-legged white tom with tabby paws

Lionpaw- Ginger and tabby she-cat with extra toes on her front paws

**_Queens_**(She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Bristlefur- Pale tabby she-cat

**_Elders_**(Former warriors and queens, now retired)

Brightpetal- White and tortoiseshell she-cat

Longstep- Golden tabby with black stripes

10


	2. Prologue

The sky was gray in on an early Newleaf dawn. The sun wouldn't rise over the tall plateau for a while. Atop the plateau was a large stone, heat rising off of it. Two cats sat near it. One was a pretty, dapple-gray she-cat, blue eyes focused on the stone. The other was a lanky tortoiseshell tom, staring up at the lightening sky.

"Have you decided, Rainstar?" the tom asked, looking towards the she-cat. She blinked, breaking off her trance and looked up at him.

"Yes, I believe I have, Tawnyhawk," she replied, looking back to the stone. The image of a cat appeared there, showing only for a brief second before disappearing.

"Are you sure?" Tawnyhawk asked, looking confused. "She does not seem to have much faith in us... What if she doesn't listen when the time comes?"

"She will. I have seen what is to come. A great cat will be joining us soon, and an innocent cat shall be condemned. She will unravel this puzzle, renewing all faith in us and herself."

Tawnyhawk stared at her for a moment. "But will she be strong enough to succeed when the time comes? Surely she won't just turn away?" He sighed. "Will she be strong enough to save even us?"

Rainstar gave him a straight look. "Perhaps you are the one who is losing faith, Tawnyhawk. Do not forget, when the time comes, she will not be alone."

The two cats fell silent, watching the sun rise over the Clans.


	3. Ch 1: The Ceremonies

Clouds drifted lazily across the sky. Birds chirped noisily as the light of sunhigh grew stronger. A soft breeze blew through the damp, lush undergrowth of LeafClan's territory.

Three lithe, muscular shapes moved silently along the boarder between their Clan and their neighbors, stopping to sniff a stale scent every now and again. Of the three cats, an oddly-marked black-and-white tom stood gazing towards the other Clan's territory, his apprentice looking wistfully up at him.

"Oh, hurry up, would you?" a beautiful brown she-cat asked angrily.

"Calm down, Russetflame. We won't be late for the ceremony, I promise," the tom, named Swiftstrike, replied, blinking away his trance. Ignoring the she-cat's grunt, he turned to the apprentice. "Singlepaw, do you smell anything?"

Russetflame did her best to block out their conversation and stalked onward, not caring if they were behind her or not. Why did Swiftstrike talk to her like _she_ was an apprentice? After all, _he_ was the one not born of LeafClan blood. The whole Clan knew that, and Russetflame wasn't about to let him forget it. Swiftstrike had been brought to LeafClan as a several-moon-old kit and had been raised by a queen named Rowantree, whom had taken him in without a second thought. That was something Russetflame would never understand.

_For all we know, he could be a kittypet or a rogue's kit,_ Russetflame told herself. _And to think, he's training our next generation of warriors!_

After several harsh seasons, Singlepaw turned out to be the only of the 'next generation of warriors'. His two sisters had frozen to death when they'd gotten lost in a snow storm, and his only brother had died not long after birth. Of the Clan's many warriors, Swiftstrike was the only with an apprentice. The only other apprentice in LeafClan was Snowdrop, the medicine cat's apprentice. Snowdrop, however, was older than both Swiftstrike and Russetflame.

Anger burned up in the she-cat as she thought back to the day that her own father, Roanstar, had chosen Swiftstrike over her to mentor Singlepaw. This was another thing she didn't understand. With so many older warriors without apprentices, why give one to one of the newest warriors? Obviously few others agreed with Russetflame on this because they all seemed to believe that Swiftstrike was doing just fine. Briskriver, a senior warrior, had even offered to help him teach Singlepaw how to fish. Fishing wasn't one of Swiftstrike's strong points.

Russetflame clicked her teeth impatiently.

"Alright, alright," Swiftstrike sighed, "we'll head back to camp now. FernClan hasn't been to check on their border in awhile anyways."

The brown she-cat set a swift pace back towards camp, making sure she stayed in the lead, even though Swiftstrike was supposed to be leading the patrol.

Finally, she slipped between the trunks the two trees that guarded LeafClan's small camp. The trees grew so close together that their roots were completely intertwined. The rest of the camp was protected by brambles and thorn bushes. On the far side of camp, opposite of where the entrance was, stood another tree, younger than those where Russetflame stood, yet still older than many generations of cats.

"Are you stuck?" The young warrioress heard Swiftstrike's voice behind her. She merely grunted in response and moved forward to let the others in.

Most of the Clan was gathered around the younger tree on the other side of camp. Roanstar sat on a low-hanging branch called the Highbranch. A few stragglers were still slipping from their dens and taking a seat with everyone else. Without waiting for the other two, Russetflame trotted quickly over and sat next to a quiet, white warrior named Cloudwhisker, who nodded briefly to her.

"Perfect timing," he purred, smiling. Russetflame opened her mouth to answer, but stopped as Roanstar flicked his tail for silence.

"As I'm sure you've all noticed," the leader began, looking over them all, "we have been a bit short on apprentices these last few moons." There was a murmur of agreement among the gathered cats and Roanstar's gaze rested proudly on Singlepaw for a brief moment. "Rowantree's kits are very close to their sixth moon and are now ready to join Singlepaw in the apprentices' den." He looked down at where Rowantree sat at the front of the group, her three kits sitting close to her, eyes wide with excitement. Russetflame also noticed three warriors sitting at the front of the group, among them the deputy, Strongwind. Roanstar turned his gaze to them.

"Briskriver, since Crimsonfur was made a warrior a few moons ago you are ready to take a new apprentice. You will mentor Mothpaw. You are a diligent fighter and an excellent hunter; I expect you to pass this on to your new apprentice."

Briskriver nodded and stepped forward to touch noses with a small, pale gray she-cat. His eyes glowed with pride. Mothpaw would be his third apprentice, an honor no other warrior of LeafClan could boast about; not even Roanstar.

"Mothpaw! Mothpaw!" the Clan chanted together, Russetflame among them.

The redish leader's gaze turned to the next warrior. "Strongwind," he began again, "you have told me that you would be honored to mentor another apprentice. You will train Shardpaw."

As a gray tom-kit took a step towards the deputy with wide eyes, Russetflame couldn't help but blink in surprise. The two toms shared the same color of fur and even the same blue eyes. Judging by the look on Strongwind's face, Russetflame guessed he would be mentoring his own son.

"You are an experienced, strong warrior and an excellent deputy. I have no doubt that your apprentice will learn a great deal from you," Roanstar concluded.

Strongwind leaned down and smoothly touched noses with the newly-named Shardpaw, before they both retreated to the back of the crowd. Again, the Clan called the new apprentice's name.

Finally, Roanstar turned to the last of the three warriors and the final kit. There was a distinct smile on his face, though he tried to hide it. "Birdwing, I have decided that you are ready for your first apprentice. You will train Drypaw."

The last kit was a tom like Shardpaw, but he looked nothing like his brother. He was a spitting image of his mother, Rowantree, with a tabby pelt and green eyes. He stared, awed, at the leader.

"You follow your heart as well as your mind in all that you do, Birdwing, making you an undeniably great warrior. I hope I can rely on you to pass on all your skills to your new apprentice."

Drypaw stepped clumsily forward and nearly tripped over his own paws as he tried to dash over to his new mentor. Birdwing chuckled and stuck out a paw to stabilize the young tom, before touching noses with him.

Satisfied, the Clan broke up into groups, happily calling congratulations to the new apprentices and mentors. Russetflame smiled as she noticed the crowd around Birdwing. Among them were Dustyfur and Hailfall, elders and also the young warrior's parents. Also with him was Rowantree, eyes glowing with pride for both her son and her younger brother. Strongwind and Briskriver nodded stiffly to each other, which was about as emotional as either warrior had ever been.

Though she was happy for her friend, Russetflame couldn't help but be a bit envious as another of her apprenticeship denmates received their first apprentice.

"Not jealous, are we?" Russetflame turned to see the medicine cat, Spiderfoot, coming over to her, looking amused.

Russetflame opened her mouth to object, but Spiderfoot spoke before she could say a word. "Calm down," the black and white medicine cat said in an amused voice. "Everyone can see that you are plenty ready for your first apprentice. I'm sure when Soloflight's kits are old enough Roanstar will choose you to train one. We all know how busy you've been the past few days. One day, those younglings will be lucky to train under you."

Russetflame couldn't help but glow with pride. "Thank you," she said, glancing at her paws.

"If I were Roanstar," a ginger-and-white tom said, coming over to them, "I would have given Singlepaw to you instead of that outsider Swiftstrike." It was Firespot, one of few cats who shared Russetflame's beliefs on Swiftstrike. "He'd probably be ready to be made a warrior if you'd trained him," the tom continued, glowering.

"Oh, not that nonsense again," Spiderfoot growled, rolling her eyes angrily. "First of all, Swiftstrike is doing an excellent job mentoring Singlepaw. Secondly, the apprentice has only been training for scarcely a moon; he's not near ready for his ceremony." She glared at the pale warrior. "I suppose it's a good thing you're not Roanstar!"

Russetflame and Firespot glanced at each other as the older cat stalked off, grumbling to herself.


	4. Ch 2: The Queen

The sun had begun to rise, chasing away the stars of Silverpelt as it did so. It was still early enough that the forest was still quiet and still, but it wouldn't last for long.

A quarter moon had passed since the ceremonies.

"Ready?" Aspenwood asked, shaking a bit of moss from his long, tabby fur. He was taking his duty of leading the dawn patrol very highly, seeing as he'd never been honored with such a task before.

Russetflame nodded, yawning. At her side sat an older warrior, Graycloud. The silver tom had always seemed to favor Russetflame, which had initially confused her. Then Strongwind had explained to her that Graycloud was her mother's littermate, making him her uncle. After that, she had been quick to return his fond words.

Graycloud stood, flicking his tail to show Aspenwood to take the lead. The young warrior nodded in response and dashed forward. Graycloud and Russetflame quickly fell in behind him.

The patrol began rather uneventful. They started out by heading down their boarder with StreamClan, pausing now and again to renew scent markers, but otherwise keeping a swift pace. When they reached the Ravine, where the four Clans gathered every full-moon, they stopped to rest and catch a few mice.

"So far so good," Aspenwood purred smiling. He was sitting on a small boulder next to the stream that ran past there from StreamClan's territory. He'd just finished his water vole.

Russetflame was beginning to get annoyed with Aspenwood's sudden pride, but she held her tongue. As she leaned down to lick her chest, an odd scent came to her. Her ears perked up and she lifted her head to take another deep breath. There it was again.

"Do you smell that?" she asked, getting to her feet and taking a few steps in the direction it was coming from.

Graycloud and Aspenwood were instantly on their feet. Russetflame had the best nose of the three, but soon the other two could scent it as well.

"This way," Graycloud said quietly, taking the lead before Aspenwood could protest. Luckily, the young warrior had enough sense to keep his mouth shut. Excitement danced in his eyes. Russetflame continued breathing in the scent as Graycloud led them towards it. Finally, she managed to recognize it.

"FernClan!" she spat, nudging the older warrior faster. Soon, they were almost sprinting.

Suddenly, Graycloud flicked his tail, telling them to stop. Russetflame obeyed instantly, dropping into a crouch, but Aspenwood took another few steps forward, shuffling his paws. Graycloud shot him a warning look and Aspenwood fell still.

Not far in front of them, Russetflame could hear someone crashing through the undergrowth with such noise there was no way it could have been a LeafClanner. In their first days of apprenticeship, LeafClan apprentices learned how to move silently through the dense brambles and bushes. Rowantree's three kits would probably still be working on that, as they had begun their training several days prior.

Graycloud flicked his tail again and the three leapt forward. But the intruder wasn't at all what they expected. Graycloud himself blinked in surprise and landed clumsily, nearly falling on his face. Aspenwood let his snarl die away and just stood there, confused. Only Russetflame kept her cautious crouch, though her eyes were just as bewildered as the others.

Before them was a round FernClan queen, only days from kitting. She had a pretty, pale brown pelt and lovely green eyes that were wide in terror. She was crouched as close to the ground as she could get, her belly bulging to the sides.

"P-please! D-don't hurt me..." she whimpered and shook as she spoke, not taking her eyes off Graycloud, who was doing his best to regain his composure.

"What are you doing in our territory, FernClanner?" Russetflame demanded, the angry look returning to her eyes. Graycloud flicked his tail at the young she-warrior, telling her to be quiet.

"Please, I'm so close to kitting... I-I didn't have anywhere else to go... Surely he'd..." Her voice died away as she began whimpering again.

Graycloud sighed and shook his head. "Alright, come on. You can come tell your story to Roanstar once you've calmed down." When the queen didn't move, he poked her with a sheathed paw. "Come on, get up. It's a long ways. At your pace, we'll be lucky to get to camp before evening mealtime."

The silver warrior took the lead. Aspenwood, obviously taking pity on the frightened queen, walked beside her and spoke softly to her until she stopped shaking. Russetflame took up the rear, eyes wide in case this was a trap. It apparently wasn't.

Though they had to pause many times for the queen to rest, the patrol finally reached the camp entrance with their prisoner. Russetflame couldn't help but suppress a laugh as the queen uttered a soft 'oof!' as the trees' bark caught her fur.

Much of the Clan was laying about camp, sharing tongues in the fading light of sunset. Nudging the strange queen in the direction of Roanstar's den amongst the roots of the Highbranch's tree, Russetflame notice Soloflight out with her kits. As soon as the LeafClan queen noticed the stranger, she hurried to usher her little ones away, but stopped when she realized it was only another queen the patrol was guarding. A look of curiosity came to the silver she-cat's face. Russetflame merely nodded in response to Soloflight's reaction. Others were quickly looking up from their doings and beginning to come over towards the Highbranch.

Strongwind slipped from the leader's den, followed by Roanstar himself. Both looked as curious as the rest of the Clan, though the deputy tried to hide it behind a fierce face.

"What's going on, Graycloud? Who is this queen?" Strongwind asked.

"We found her wondering through our territory not far from our boarder with FernClan. She was too frightened to answer any of our questions," Graycloud answered, nodding respectfully to both the deputy and the leader.

"She can't be more than a few days from kitting," Aspenwood put in, putting on a surprised look.

Roanstar nodded to the patrol and flicked his tail to the queen. "What is your name?"

"Appleblossom?" It wasn't the queen who answered, but Birdwing. He pushed his way through the gathered cats.

"Birdwing!" The queen tried to rush towards him, but Graycloud stepped in the way and she retreated back to the center of the circle that had formed around her.

Roanstar's eyes narrowed. "You know her, Birdwing?" When the young warrior nodded, the leader looked even more confused. "Appleblossom, explain to us why it is you were in our territory," he said in a commanding tone. Appleblossom looked nervous now.

"I... I was exiled from my Clan... I had nowhere else to go..." She was whimpering again.

Several cats made sounds of exclamation in response to her words. Birdwing's jaw dropped and he stood there, gaping at the former FernClan queen. Tabbyfur cried out in contempt. But others, like Rowantree, remained silent. Briskriver narrowed his eyes, almost unbelieving.

"And you came to us? Why?" Roanstar didn't even ask why the queen had been exiled. His expression hadn't change at her news.

Appleblossom hung her head; her whimpers had vanished. "I can here because..." She looked up, defiance suddenly flaring in her eyes, "Because the father of my kits is from your Clan."

Yowls of surprise and disbelief followed her words. Briskriver's eyes narrowed even further so it was hard to tell if his eyes were even open anymore. Crimsonfur gave a snarl of anger. Roanstar flicked his tail for silence and nodded to the queen, "Continue."

The same look of defiance remained in her eyes. "When my Clan found out that the father wasn't in FernClan, they would have nothing to do with me and cast me away."

"That's terrible!" Tabbyfur exclaimed.

"She lies! No LeafClanner would stoop to that!" Firespot growled and Crimsonfur yowled in agreement.

"Silence!" Roanstar yowled, looking angry. "What you say cannot be true. You will leave, now." He started to turn away.

"No!" Russetflame found herself crying out. Several cats looked to her. "Father, you can't! She's so near to kitting; neither she nor the kits would survive on their own! Please, let her stay at least until the kits are old enough to travel," she begged, moving closer to the Highbranch. All of the Clan was silent and watching her. Roanstar slowly turned back to her, his eyes sad.

"You always were so compassionate..." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Russetflame. She cannot stay here. If FernClan heard, they would be furious. We can't afford a battle so soon after the fire and the harsh winter..." Again, he started to turn away. The Clan started yowling and noisily shouting responses to the leader's words.

"They're my kits!" The entire Clan fell silent and Roanstar turned back to them for a second time. "Appleblossom will give birth to my kits. Please, Roanstar, don't send her away."

Russetflame felt her heart cry painfully out and hung her head in sorrow.

It was Birdwing who spoke.

For a long moment, LeafClan's camp was completely silent.

Birdwing stared straight at Roanstar, his eyes were sad, yet angry at the same time. Much of the Clan was staring at him in disbelief. He was the last cat they would have suspected. Birdwing had always been a good-natured, comical tom, always showing kindness to anyone. Even outside of his own Clan, he was well known, despite his young age. But he had always shown extreme loyalty to his Clan and the warrior code.

Roanstar finally broke the silence. "I-is this true, Birdwing?"

The young warrior nodded softly. "I may have broken the warrior code, but I would not lie to you." Another silence followed his words, but this one did not last near as long. Dustyfur let out a bemoaned wail. Firespot snarled angrily, while Crimsonfur shook his head, eyes wide. Rowantree and the other two queens looked sad and spoke quietly amongst themselves. Aspenwood and Graycloud stood like Crimsonfur, unbelieving.

Roanstar shook his head. "Alright, she can stay...for now."

"Roanstar, this outrage cannot go unpunished! Exile them both; we don't want such a traitor in our Clan!" Crimsonfur spat.

Russetflame winced, knowing what a powerful blow it would be to Birdwing to hear his own brother say that.

Roanstar looked angry again. "No, Crimsonfur. Birdwing knows what he has done is against the code." He sighed. "But I agree that this cannot go unpunished. Drypaw, come forward."

"Y-yes, Roanstar?" the little tabby asked, stepping from the crowd. Russetflame could tell he didn't completely understand what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Birdwing, but I can't allow you to continue Drypaw's training. He has scarcely begun his apprenticeship, but he will have to continue it under another mentor."

Birdwing gasped and took a step back. Russetflame couldn't even imagine what it must feel like to lose your apprentice after only several moonrises of training.

Roanstar ignored Birdwing's response. "Aspenwood, you are plenty ready for your first apprentice. You are a swift, sharp warrior and learned quickly from Cloudwhisker. I expect you to pass on all of your skills to this apprentice."

Both looking confused and subdued, the two touched noses and moved away. Birdwing had sat down and was staring at his paws. Appleblossom licked his shoulder comfortingly.

"Rowantree, you will show Appleblossom around and keep an eye on her," Roanstar said calmly, nodding to the queen. "This meeting is over." He leapt down from the branch and slipped into his den.

Spiderfoot and Snowdrop came over to Appleblossom and quickly ushered her off to their den to look her over. Rowantree followed more slowly. Much of the Clan completely ignored Birdwing or shot him dark looks. He looked so sad just sitting there that Russetflame sighed and moved over towards him.

But Swiftstrike reached the subdued warrior first. Russetflame grunted and shifted her course towards the fresh-kill pile which was positioned over near the warriors den. Snatching up a mouse, she noticed Mothpaw and Shardpaw over near the apprentices' den, trying to cheer Drypaw up. Something about that made Russetflame's heart whimper and she turned away to eat in the shadow of the Highbranch.

Growing up, Russetflame had been the sole survivor of her litter. She vaguely remembered her brother, though she remembered that he had looked quite a bit like she did, with the same pelt and eyes. No one ever spoke about him anymore, but Russetflame knew, ever since her brother's disappearance, her mother had almost completely lost her will to live.


	5. Ch 3: The Murder

Several dawns passed.

It was early one morning that it happened.

Strongwind had led out the dawn patrol, followed by Swiftstrike and Firespot. None of them said much as the slipped from camp; Firespot purposely ignoring Swiftstrike. Russetflame had emerged from the warriors' den just in time to see Swiftstrike's gray and black tail disappear from camp. She felt surprisingly anxious and vaguely wondered why.

She stretched and slipped over to the fresh-kill pile to grab a mouse. By the time she had settled herself under the Highbranch's tree, Rowantree and Briskriver were slipping from the warriors' den too. The older warriors both took some prey and came to lie next to Russetflame. The three were silent for a few moments, munching on their breakfasts.

"Aspenwood and Drypaw seem to have settled into a routine," Rowantree said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah? You should have seen the look on Birdwing's face when those two came back from camp after training yesterday," Briskriver replied with an emotionless tone.

Russetflame nodded. "Birdwing seems to be spending a lot of time with Appleblossom. Snowdrop said she'd probably have her kits today."

Neither of the others replied, acting as if she hadn't said a thing. Much of the Clan still resented Birdwing and Appleblossom. However, a few cats had taken a quick liking to the new queen. Tabbyfur was enthusiastic at showing her around camp, letting Rowantree get back to her warrior duties instead. Swiftstrike had had Singlepaw catch an extra vole for Appleblossom, too. Birdwing, however, was being ignored by just about everyone except Swiftstrike and Spiderfoot. Every time he was around, Roanstar would give the tom-warrior a pity-filled look.

With her mouse finished, Russetflame stood and shook the dust from her fur. "Would either of you like to join me on a hunting patrol?"

"Sure," Briskriver said, standing as well. "I'll go fetch Mothpaw."

"I'll go. Perhaps we should ask Singlepaw to join us as well? Swiftstrike might not be back for a while," Rowantree offered, heading after Briskriver without waiting for a reply.

Russetflame grunted, though no one heard her.

A short while later the five cats were moving carefully through the brambles, breathing in the scents of the forest. Half-trained Singlepaw was demonstrating a silent crouch for Mothpaw, who watched with wide eyes, thoroughly excited. Briskriver quietly commented on how much Mothpaw's unsure enthusiasm reminded him of Rowantree as a young apprentice. Rowantree gave him a playful shove.

Letting the sounds of her companions fall away, Russetflame listened carefully to the other creatures around her. Her strong ears, however, caught something else. Her head popped up to her neck's full length, straining to hear the noise again. She heard it again, only louder. She took a deep breath, knowing her nose would be able to tell what it was before her ears.

"Great StarClan, what _is_ that!" She took a few steps forward, all of the others falling silent and stepping up around her. Singlepaw's tall ears stood to their highest, Briskriver's nose twitched, and Rowantree's mouth was slightly open the take in the scents with the glad on the roof of her mouth.

"It smells like blood," the former queen said, shaking her head to rid herself of the smell.

"I can't figure out what that noise was..." Singlepaw said quietly. "I think it stopped, though."

"Well, come on," Briskriver said roughly, stepping forward. "Let's go see." He continued onward, not even glancing back to see if the others were following. Mothpaw walked close to her mother, eyes filled with curiosity and fear. Russetflame fell into step with Briskriver, pushing their speed faster and faster until they were at a brisk jog.

Once again, in the last few days, the pretty, young warrior found herself speeding towards the unknown.

Soon, they burst through the brambles and skidded to a halt. A gasp escaped Russetflame's throat and she felt Briskriver tense suddenly at her side. Behind her, Rowantree suddenly stepped in front of Mothpaw, blocking her view. Singlepaw's eyes widened to their fullest.

Before them lay a terrible scene.

Swiftstrike was standing, stalk-still in the middle of the small clearing they'd come upon. There were streaks of blood on his sides, and blood pooled at his paws. His gray eyes were lost in the distance.

A few fox-lengths in front of him lay Firespot and Strongwind, both stone-dead.


End file.
